The risk assessment is conducted on request from The Norwegian Food Safety Authority. In the future the authorities are expected to prioritize the use of public resources to a greater extent on diseases and health conditions which have, or may lead to, harmful effects on society in general. The risk assessment is a part of the background material for developing future health management as to combatting and surveillance of terrestrial animal diseases in Norway.

The assessment is, with certain modifications, conducted according to outlines from FAO and OIE.